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Friday, December 7, 2012

The Straits Times : Hipster hooray for two.o.ri

The
Straits Times7th
December 2012By
Cheryl Faith Wee

Located in Tiong Bahru, two.o.ri (above) sells items such as clothes and
lifestyle items by local and international brands. -- PHOTO: MARK CHEONG FOR THE
STRAITS TIMES

What: two.o.riWhere: 61 Seng Poh Lane, 01-05When: 5 to 10pm (Wednesdays to Fridays), 11am to 9pm
(Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), closed Mondays and TuesdaysWho: The co-owners of fashion boutique nana & bird in
Tiong Bahru, Ms Georgina Koh (below right), 32, and Ms Tan Chiew Ling (below
left), 32. The duo have collaborated with distribution company Darts, which
focuses on international designer brands, to open this eclectic apparel and
lifestyle store.two.o.ri (say "two-ooh-ray") is tucked away in an unlikely location: in a
one-storey building in an open-air carpark, with a zi char restaurant and a
seafood distributor for neighbours.

-- PHOTO: MARK CHEONG FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

Ms Tan, who works in a creative agency, says: "There are a lot of old-school
food and beverage outlets here, and a lot of people are surprised to see our
shop."Still, given the hipster enclave that Tiong Bahru has turned into, the shop
is well placed."We see the potential that traffic will stream down from the busy Yong Siak
Street," explains Ms Koh.Yong Siak Street is where independent bookstore BooksActually and popular
coffee joint 40 Hands are located.The "two" in the shop's name refers to different groups of people interacting
with one another, while "ri" is slang for laughter in French.Having opened their first boutique, nana & bird, in Tiong Bahru last
year, the partners decided to open a second, larger one in the same area to
stock a wider range of products - from lifestyle items to menswear. nana &
bird, which sells women's clothes and accessories, occupies 430 sq ft in a
former residential unit on a HDB block's ground floor.two.o.ri, which officially opened at the end of last month, is twice that
size.The 800 sq ft shop is curved on one side, with squarish cut-outs over clear
glass windows that let in light. Black-and-white blinds adorn the shop's
full-length glass entrance.Goods, such as watches, sunglasses and bags, are tastefully arranged on
custom-made varnished plywood shelves and tables.Ms Tan and Ms Koh designed the interior themselves and wanted to create a raw
yet welcoming feel. They spent around $10,000 doing up the space.The shop carries local and international labels for men and women from places
such as New Zealand, South Korea and Britain. These include Canadian label
Oliberte and home-grown womenswear label aijek.Clothing costs between $100 and $500. Prices range from $3 for a pen to
$1,280 for a leather bag.The owners are also hoping to make full use of their ample new space to host
events - from pop- up stores-within-a-store to collection launches.Ms Koh says: "We could even get a DJ in to spin or have an artisanal coffee
pushcart. Just seeing this as a retail space would be under-utilising it."

Singapore Time

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